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A. E. RHOADES. I HARNESS MOTION FQR LOOMS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3. 1919.

Patented Au 12, 1919.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALONZO E. EHOADES, 0F HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, .ASSIG-NOR TO DRAPER CORPORATION, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 3, 1919. Serial No. 274,615.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALONZO E. Knowles, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hopedale, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Harness-Motions for Looms, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters 'on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to the harness or shed forming mechanism of a loom and the object of the invention is to provide a simple and eflicient means for securing the adjustment of the motion to enable the width of shed opening to be varied as required.

The invention has for its object to enable the required adjustment of the harness motion to be made for varying thewidth of the shed opening without changing the operating cams. This is very desirable because the changing of the cams not only requires considerable time and labor 'but the position which the cams occupy in the loom renders the job a difiicult and disagreeable one. The invention enables the required adjustment to be made quickly, easily and accurately, and at a point in the loom where the work can be handled with much less discomfort and with much greater accessibility than'at the cam shaft.

These and other objects and features of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly. pointed out in the claims.

The drawings show only such a fragmentary portion of a loom as is necessary to a disclosure of the invention.

In the drawings,

Figure 1. is a view partially in vertical cross section looking toward the inside of one of the loom sides and showing a portion of the harness motion sufiicient for a disclosure of the invention with a preferred form of the inventiomembodied therein;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the actuating levers and connections.

This invention h ying to do only with the harness motion or s ed forming mechanism of the loom and only with the adjustment of the same to vary the width of the shed open.- ing it is unnecessary here to illustrate or describe either the general construction of the loom or mechanisms embodied therein other than the harness motion. 1

In the construction illustrated a portion of a loom side 1 contains the bearing 2 for the usual cam shaft 3 extending across the loom. This shaft is-provided With a series of cams of which two cams 4 and 5 for operating the harness motion are shown.

Such cams act upon suitable followers such as the rolls 6 and 7 respectively journaled 1n the levers 8 and 9. These levers are fulcrumed at the rear of the loom frame and it will thus be seen that as the cam shaft 3 1s revolved these levers 8 and 9 will be rocked in alternation about their fulcrums provided the followers are held up against the cams. The levers at their forward ends are connected to the usual harness frames. One such connection of a familiar type is shown in the case of the lever 9. A stirrup 10 is hooked over the forward end of the lever into one or the other of the notches 11. An adjustable strap 12 extends from this stirrup to a second stirrup 13 which is secured by a connector 14 to the harness frame 15. Any suitable connection may however be employed between the lever and the harness frame. The harness frames are held elevated by various means and as any suitable means may be utilized for this purpose the elevating means has not been illustrated. The harness frame 15 is sometimes connected by a spring to the overhanging arch of the loom, sometimes the harness frames are in pairs so connected to the levers that one harness is lifted by pulling down the other.

In the present invention means are provided for adjusting the fulcrum of the levers toward and from the operating cams while at the same time leaving unchanged or maintaining the distance between the cams and the points of connection of the levers to the harness frame. That is to say, the fulcrum .16 of the levers is adjusted toward and from the cam in such a manner that this adjustment does not affect the distance from the point where the follower 7 engages the cam to the point where the stirrup 10 engages the lever. This adjustment of the fulcrum varies the throwof the lever at its point of connection to the harness frame and conse- Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

quently adjusts the width ofthe shed open- As a simple and efiicient means for securof-the levers is located in a fulcrum bracket shown as a flat plate 21 provided at its rear end with a bearing 22 for the fulcrum shaft or pin 16. Means are provided for adjust ably securing the fulcrum bracket to the plate 18 in any desired relative longitudinal position. As a suitable means for securing this adjustment the plate 18 is provided with a longitudinal row of equally spaced threaded holes 23 and the plate 21 of the fulcrum bracketis provided with a longitudinal row of similarly spaced holes 24. Thus the fulcrum bracket may be set at any desired position longitudinally of the plate 18 and secured or clamped thereto by two or more screws 25 passing through the alined holes.

This adjustment of the fulcrum point 16 toward and from the cams as illustrated requires that that portion of the lever between the cam and fulcrum point shall similarly be adjusted as to its length and a similar means to that already described is illustrated for that purpose. The rearward portion of each lever is divided into two overlapping sections. One section is provided with a longitudinal row 'of equally spaced holes 26 and the opposite section 27 is provided with a similar longitudinal row of equally spaced screw-threaded holes 28. The two sections are secured to ether in any desired position of longitudina adjustment by means of two or more screws 29.

The section 27 of the lever terminates in a bearing hub 30 mounted on the fulcrum shaft 16. Preferably the levers are arranged in pairs so that when the hub 30 is mounted at each side of the bearing 22 extending downward from the fulcrum bracket 21 the bearing hubs are held in position by collars 31 on the fulcrum shaft 16.

It will thus be seen that as the lever sections are adjusted and the fulcrum bracket is adjusted on the plate 18 to carry the fulcrum point 16 rearwardly that the throw of the levers at their forward ends where they are connected to the harness frames will be reduced and consequently the shed opening will be narrowed. Conversely if the adjustment bemade in the opposite direction the throw of the levers at the forward ends will be increased and the shed opening widened. The adjustment of the fulcrum point is readily made simply by loosening the screws 25 and 29, shifting the parts to a new desired position and replacing the screws.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A harness motion for looms comprising a lever connected to the harness frame and fulcrumed on the loom frame; a cam for rocking the lever on its fulcrum to shift the harness frame; and means for adjusting the fulcrum toward and from the cam, while maintaining the distance between the cam and the point of connection of the lever,

to the harnessframe, whereby the throw of the lever at its point of connection to the harness frame and consequently the shed opening is adjusted.

2. A harness motion for looms comprising a lever connected to the harness frame; a cam for rocking the lever on its fulcrum to shift the harness frame; and means for fulcruming the lever to the loom frame at any of a plurality of points located at different distances from the cam without changing the distance between the cam and the point of connection of the lever on the harness frame, whereby the throw of the lever at its point of connection to the harness frame and consequently the shed opening ing a lever connected to the harness frame and fulcrumed on the loom frame; a cam for rocking the lever on its fulcrum to shift the harness frame; means for adjusting the length of the fulcrum between its fulcrum and cam; and means for correspondin ly adjusting the position of the fulcrum on dle loom frame, whereby the throw of the lever at its point of connection to theharness frame and consequently the shed opening is adjusted.

5. A harness motion for looms comprising a lever connected to the harness frame;

a cam for rocking the lever on its fulcrum to shift the harness frame; a fulcrum bracket; means for adjusting the bracket longitudinally of the loom frame, and means for adjusting the effective length of the lever between its fulcrum point and the cam to correspond with the adjustment of the bracket, whereby the throw of the lever at its point of connection to the harness frame and consequently the shed opening is adjusted.

6. A harness motion for looms comprising a lever connected to the harness frame; a cam for rocking the lever on its fulcrum to shift the harness frame; a fulcrum bracket; means for adjustably securing the bracket to the loom frame longitudinally thereof, and means for adjusting the efiective lengthof the lever between its fulcrum point and the cam to correspond with the.

adjustment of the bracket, whereby the throw of the lever at its point of connection It to the harness, frame and consequently the shed opening is adjusted.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALONZO E. RHOADES. 

